When Nature Narrates. Surroundings and Individual in Tierra de Campeones by Diego Zúñiga

Abstract

Tierra de campeones (2023), the most recent publication by Chilean writer Diego Zúñiga, is based on the figure of the Chilean spearfishing world champion, Raúl Choque, fictionalized in the story of Chungungo Martínez. Set in northern Chile during the 1960s and 1970s, the book delves into the life and activity of the diver, paying special attention to the individual’s connection with his environment. Is in these narrative moments, charged with lyricism and depth, that reveal the relevance of the link between individual, space and story. On the triad of body, surroundings and poetics, this article explores precisely the notion of inhabiting that unites human being and space. From a phenomenological and geopoetic approach, we analyze the way in which the configuration of the spaces of the river, sea and desert operate in the construction of the character’s being and the book’s narrative framework.